The disclosed preferred embodiment relates to a coupling element and a docking device comprising a coupling element. The embodiment further relates to a holding device for the manipulation of the coupling elements and docking devices and a connection device comprising at least two coupling elements.
In many fields, in particular the manufacturing industry, there are often stringent requirements for the cleanliness of the primary products used, for which reason contamination caused by impurities at any point of the process, and not only during the production and isolation of the primary products, is to be avoided. However, it is often precisely when filling appropriate containers with the completed primary products, or when decanting the same for the purpose of further processing into intermediary or end products, that contact with the environment cannot be totally avoided. Thus the quality of the reprocessed products can be permanently affected, and if required, whole product batches are even discarded. On the other hand, particular care must be taken with toxic compounds to ensure that people and the environment do not come into contact with these substances, and this also makes it necessary to work very carefully, and isolated from the environment. It often suffices simply to work in clean room conditions in order to fulfill the requirements for the decanting of toxic substances into appropriate processing containers. In any case, the efforts taken not to contaminate valuable primary products, along with the aim not to contaminate the environment with toxic compounds goes hand in hand with a high level of expenditure on apparatus and safety regulations, which unavoidably has an effect upon production costs. These stringent requirements are, eg. regularly to be fulfilled by the food processing, the chemical or the pharmaceutical industries, for example when products in the form of bulk goods or fluids are to be transferred from a fixed first container into a transportable second container. Because many products, even in exceptionally small quantities, have a highly toxic effect upon the human organism, and other products react very sensitively to eg. the effect of air, effective coupling elements and docking devices were developed by the industry which should make it possible to fill or to empty a container in an isolated, or at least a dust-free state. For example, containers of this type are filled by means of a double cap technique which has proved to be very efficient, but also, due to the technical design and the materials used, very costly.
DE 695 04 581 T2 , for example, made known a sealed docking device of this type between containers isolated from the environment, which has an inflexible, annular flange with a door. The flange and the door are preferably produced from a hard plastic material. The containers, which can be made in the form of sacks, are preferably made from a soft synthetic material. A disadvantage of this docking device is the constructionally very high-cost processing of the flange with its cam mechanism serving as a locking mechanism, which incommensurately increases the production costs for a one-way object, and in addition, makes it non-user friendly because it is unwieldy.
Docking devices for contamination-free decanting are used in particular when handling radio-active materials, and regularly require a constructionally expensive locking arrangement, such as eg. that found in DE 39 05 362 A1. In addition, for each of these container types, a docking device adapted to the dimensions of the container is required.
DE 695 04 581 T2 presents a sealed docking device between two housings isolated from the environment, each respectively provided with a door. With this device, the outer sides of the doors can be attached to one another so as to form a seal, whereby the locking mechanism of the first door can also be controlled by a manipulation device on the second door. Following conveyance from the one housing into the other, the two-door unit is returned to its place in the respective retainers or mountings provided for this purpose, and the two housings can be separated from one another. In this way, the outer sides of the two doors remain free from impurities because they are isolated from one another during the transfer or conveyance. The docking device in accordance with DE 695 04 581 T2 is also constructionally expensive and can not readily be used on filling mechanisms isolated from the environment for structures with smaller dimensions.
Docking devices of a simpler design can, in accordance with DE 196 24 189 A1, also be formed from a first docking element which is funnel-shaped in design, and a second docking element, which is form-fitted onto on the funnel-shaped docking element, in particular forming a spherical contact surface. In order to guarantee it be gas proof, the contact surface has a rubber elastic surface. With the docking device in accordance with DE 196 24 189 A1, one can successfully decant media capable of flowing, however, it can not be guaranteed that when coupling or uncoupling the docking elements, that these media capable of flowing do not escape into the environment.
DE 43 29 276 A.1 proposes a dust sealed connection for transportable bulk containers, which are provided with a connection device. With this, the bulk goods container in docked state is engaged with the outlet from above via an elastic disc, and in closed state, sealed by a sealing cone. The outlet funnel of the bulk goods container here has a diameter which is greater than that of the hole in the rubber disc. A sealing cone located in the outlet funnel cuts off the stream of bulk material with its lower edge. By using a rubber disc with a deliberately under-sized outlet opening as a sealing element, it can, however, not be out of the question that, in any case with frequent use, damage will occur or the elasticity will be reduced, so that isolation from the environment of the outlet funnel is no longer guaranteed. Furthermore, special precautions must be taken in order to bring about sealing of the bulk goods container so as to isolate it from the environment by means of displacement of the sealing cone. The possibilities for using the dust-sealed connection in accordance with DE 43 299 276 A1 are therefore extremely limited.
DE 20 217 669 U1 describes a sealed docking device between two containers which are essentially isolated from the environment, whereby each container is essentially flexible, at least in sections, and can be attached so as to form a seal with a coupling element. The elastic coupling elements positioned alongside one another so as to form a seal are respectively provided with a slit which can be opened by elastic distortion of the coupling elements. Because the respective slits of the coupling elements which lie flush against one another lie exactly one above the other, the slits are opened by applying pressure onto opposite sides of the coupling elements, and the bulk material can be conveyed forward. In this way, in particular the handling in comparison with that using docking devices, as known by DE 69 504 581 T2, is simplified, and the production costs are reduced.
WO 03/037756 relates to a multi-walled change-over container comprising an inner and an outer shell. The space between the flexible inner container and the outer shell can be filled variably with compressed air by means of a compressed air supply so that the cross-section of the inner flexible container wall can be adjusted to reduce the fall velocity of the bulk material introduced by means of an upper inlet. In this way it can be carefully filled with bulk goods because account can be taken of the distance of the fall and the fall velocity of the bulk goods. Moreover, the effect of pressure upon the intermediary space between the inner and the outer shell can be used to remove the final bulk good remains quickly and efficiently when emptying the container. In addition, WO 03/037756 discloses a container which is provided with an elastic coupling element, comprising a slit opening, on its inlet and/or its outlet. This type of coupling element can, for example, have guide rails set on an edge which runs along its long sides, and is equipped with fixing elements on its opposite short edges for reciprocal fixing of the coupling elements which form a docking device. This type of coupling element is suitable for axial coupling to a second coupling element for the purpose of forming the previously described docking device.
GB 2 040 862 A discloses a packaging device for vacuum packaging and packaging which excludes air and humidity. As well as a suction line used to evacuate the container to be filled, holding and clamping members are also provided with which the opening edge of a flexible container is held and automatically opened and closed during filling. A one-piece holding device made from a rubber material can also be used here, which, in order to guarantee reliable opening and closing of the opening edge of the flexible container, is also equipped with metal struts. With the device introduced in GB 2 040 862 A, the filling cycles are shortened, contamination of the surrounding area is reduced or eliminated, and the monitoring during filling can be minimized.
An object is to provide a sealed docking device and coupling elements which form these docking devices, as well as to provide methods for filling containers with bulk goods or fluids in a way that is isolated from the environment, so that disadvantages of the prior art are overcome, and in particular so that handling is simplified and production costs are reduced.
In a coupling element for decanting, filling, or emptying of containers, a first sealing strip a flank piece comprising elastic as a first mounting element at a first end defining a first inner space for retaining a first axis, and a second mounting element on a second opposite end defining a second inner space for retaining a second axis. A second sealing strip comprising elastic has a first mounting element on a first end which defines a first inner space for retaining the second axis, and a second mounting element on a second opposite end which defines the second inner space for retaining the first axis. Inner sides of the flank pieces of the first and second sealing strips are attachable to one another to form a seal. The first mounting element of the first strip in the second mounting element of the second strip are positioned adjacent one another to form a first articulated section, and the second mounting element of the first sealing strip and the first mounting element of the second sealing strip being adjacent to one another to form a second articulated section. The first articulated cap forming a pivot bearing is positioned at least partially over the first articulated section and a second articulated cap forming a pivot bearing as positioned at least partially over the second articulated section. The first axis is retained in the first inner space for pivotable mounting of the first articulated section and the second axis is retained in the second inner space for pivotable mounting of the second articulated section.